The present invention relates generally to electric steam irons, and concerns more particularly a steam iron sole plate comprising a metallic heating base comprising at least one vaporization chamber, and a metallic plate mounted on the heating base, whose external surface is adapted to form a pressing surface and which is pierced with holes communicating with the vaporization chamber.
In a known steam iron sole plate of this type, the steam emitted from the vaporization chamber leaves at a predetermined flow rate through holes provided in the metal plate constituting itself a pressing plate, via a steam distribution chamber provided in the heating base and communicating with the vaporization chamber and the outlet holes for steam of the pressing plate.
However, as is well known, it happens that after several heating cycles, small plates of scale deposit tenaciously and solidly on the internal surface of the steam outlet holes of the metal pressing plate, and ultimately plug these holes, preventing thereafter any emission of steam onto the articles to be pressed. To descale the holes of the metallic pressing plate, the user must use a tool, just as for example a reamer, with the help of which he strongly scrapes the internal surface of each hole, which is particularly troublesome and little effective for descaling, and can result from user""s clumsiness in scoring the ironing plate.
The invention has particularly for its object to overcome these drawbacks and to provide a steam iron sole plate of the type described above, which can be easily cleaned to remove scale from the holes of the metallic pressing plate.
According to the invention, a tubular lug of resilient material is disposed in each hole of the plate and surrounds the internal surface of said hole so as to form an outlet passage for the steam.
Thus, the holes of the metal pressing plate are thereafter internally protected by the lugs of resilient material through which leaves the steam emitted in the vaporization chamber provided in the heating base of the sole plate. Moreover, the scale that may be deposited on the resilient material of the lugs is present in a brittle form, such that by simple friction exerted on these lugs, the deposited scale detaches very easily thanks to the resilient deformation of the lugs.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the lugs are interconnected over all or in several portions, by a common connection member which is arranged between the lower surface of the heating base and the internal surface of the metallic plate.
Preferably, the lugs and the connection member are molded of a single piece of a resilient material, such as an elastomer of the silicone type resistant to high temperature. This embodiment by molding the lugs and their connection member is desirably simple, less costly and well suited for mass production.